Saturday, October 15, 2011

The Hindu goddess Shri Mahakali is the fearsome destroyer of evil, an archetype which has appeared also outside of India. In Hindu iconography she is usually depicted with wide eyes, terrifying expression and protruding tongue, and sometimes sharp fangs.

The Gorgon of ancient Greece was originally a goddess whose image enjoyed positions of prestige on the facades of temples and at the centre of shields, where it was placed to repel negative forces.

There are many similarities between the cultures of ancient Greece and India. This could be due to physical cross-pollination between the two regions, or the archetypes may have emerged independently from the collective unconscious. It is likely that a terrific feminine aspect of the Divine fulfilled a need in the collective psyche of the Hindus and the Greeks.

The top image shows the Gorgon's head on the aegis (see Wikipedia entry below) of the goddess Athena, protecting the centre heart.

The winged Gorgon (middle) is from the pediment of a temple (Greek colony of Syracuse in Sicily), below this is a Hindu statue of Shri Mahakali, and the bottom image is a bronze head from a shield (National Archaeological Museum of Athens).

From Wikipedia:

An aegis is a large collar or cape worn in ancient times to display the protection provided by a high religious authority or the holder of a protective shield signifying the same, such as a bag-like garment that contained a shield. Sometimes the garment and the shield are merged, with a small version of the shield appearing on the garment. It originally was derived from the protective shield associated with a religious figure when related in myths and images. The wearing of the aegis and its contents show sponsorship, protection, or authority derived from yet a higher source or deity. The name has been extended to many other entities, and the concept of a protective shield is found in other mythologies, while its form varies across sources.

Now, the more modern concept of doing something "under someone's aegis" means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source. The word aegis is identified with protection by a strong force with its roots in Greek mythology and adopted by the Romans; there are parallels in Norse mythology and in Egyptian mythology as well, where the Greek word aegis is applied by extension.

A protective Gorgon's head is visible on the breastplate worn by Alexander the Great, in this first century BC mosaic.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

William Blake's image of a bearded Creator surrounded by six angels, reflecting the six days (or aeons) of Creation, is a revelation of the Swadisthana Chakra, which is the seat of creative energy in the subtle body of a human being.

The Swadisthana has six petals, or sub-plexuses, and is presided over by Lord Brahma and his wife the goddess Saraswati, who together personify the creative aspect of the Divine. Unlike the other male Hindu deities, Shri Brahmadeva is usually depicted with a beard, often long and white, representing his eternal nature.
In Hindu philosophy, the created universe can be divided into six aspects: front, back, left, right, above and below.

In the Zoroastrian religion, there are six divine beings called Amesha Spenta, the six great divine sparks or emanations of Ahura Mazda (uncreated Divinity) through whom creation was accomplished.

.
Diagram of the Swadisthana Chakra, showing its six petals, each with a sanskrit letter indicating the sound associated with that aspect of the chakra. From the top reading clockwise they are: ba, bha, ma, ya,ra, and la. The seed sound in the centre is vam.

With an eye made quiet by the powerOf harmony, and the deep power of joy.We see into the life of things.

- Wordsworth, Tintern Abbey

We can't see the subtle body and it's chakras (psychospiritual energy centres) but hopefully these images will give a feel for the qualities theses centres possess.

Artistic creativity is one way of opening up the Swadisthana Chakra.

Please feel free to add your comments and suggestions,especially for any images of enlightened or subtle art thatyou feel belong here.To comment, click on the word "comments" below a post.

Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi

The Value of Matter

"Actually to be materialistic, in the real sense,is that we understand the value of matter.And the value of matter is aesthetics:artistic things, real artistic things.And beyond that, the value of matteris that you can give love to others."